Rudy (left to right: Ruby Izatt & Rowan W-S)

Rudy is the musical brainchild of long-time pals Ruby Izatt and Rowan W-S. The project began as “an extended songwriting challenge” between the pair once they found themselves on the opposite coasts of Canada (when Ruby returned to the band’s hometown of Vancouver to go to university), and still itching to create together. Now reunited in Montreal, the duo have been hard at work: transforming their long-distance demos into master tracks, using both digital and analog techniques in their basement home-studio.

Today, Rudy premieres their first single of the year: “Makeup,” which the band says “finds inspiration in clip-on earrings, clowns and sneakers and intends to bring a bit of magic to everyday life where dancing alone in your bedroom is a whole event.”

Also Cool had the chance to catch the band before their release, and chat about how they revived this track “off the cutting-room floor,” and find inspiration in the sentiment of family heirlooms and throwback cartoons.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Rudy! Congratulations on the release of "Makeup!" To start, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourselves and your musical project?

Rudy: Hi Also Cool! This is so exciting for us! We are Rowan and Ruby (a Cancer and Leo, respectively), and we started writing songs together to keep in touch after Ruby left Montreal to finish her studies in Vancouver. Rowan is part of Winona Forever, and Ruby first learned how to play bass while touring from Vancouver to Montreal with the band.

Also Cool: You two have recently reunited after being a long-distance band on the opposite coasts of Canada. How has being in the same city impacted your project, and the creative process of writing/producing "Makeup" by extension?

Rudy: Being able to talk and experiment in person has been huge for us. Though we enjoyed the surprise of listening to new demos while taking public transit to school/work and writing alone in the evenings while we were on opposite coasts, everything goes so much faster when there’s someone offering feedback right away. Plus, being in the same room means we can track live, which sounds more cohesive and lively than tracking each instrument separately.

“Makeup” had gone through so many revisions while we were sending the track back and forth that it got to be a bit of a hot mess. Finally listening to it together for the first time was when we re-discovered that the song wasn’t complete trash and we were motivated to finish it.

AC: The song features so many experimental embellishments, from sound-effects, voice-overs from different "characters," and sounds that remind me of children's toys. Where did you draw inspiration from for these elements, and how did you get them to work together to build this track?

Rudy: Since the song is about being in one room, we wanted to build a sonic world that felt inviting and imaginative. We have a TV/VCR player in the studio that's usually playing some movie or old cartoons while we’re working, which we often look to for reference or inspiration. We were listening to Arthur and King Princess a lot at the time, who both employ sound effects to create the world where their music resides.

When we finished the bed track for “Makeup,” Rowan was experimenting and played some slide guitar over the pickups at the end of the track. We thought sounded like twinkling stars, and worked backwards [by filling] in the gaps with experimental sounds and voiceovers.

AC: Of course, the lyrics talk about the idea of doing makeup/dressing-up just for yourself to jazz up having to stay inside during quarantine. Were there any particular looks that you put together that really struck you? What are some of your style go-tos, in terms of makeup and accessories, and why?

Rudy (Ruby): I am definitely someone who will slap on two discordant eye makeup looks right before hopping in the shower. Honestly, the lyrics to “Makeup” were just talking about my life pre-quarantine…

When my grandfather died last year, I received his leather fanny pack and a few pieces of his late wife’s glass bead necklaces which I revere and I think kinda look sick together? I gravitate towards anything with bright colours, or an interesting story.

AC: Before we let you go, are there any upcoming projects from you that we should look out for? What are your plans as artists in the near future?

Rudy: We have so many songs we are working on at the moment! We also have a little lyric video for “Makeup” that we are going to put out shortly.

Listen to “Makeup” out now